Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I know I've mentioned before that I'm lucky to be able to work with talented local party stylist and my friend, Christine of Pure Joy Events. Well I was impressed anew by her creativity when we got together 2 weeks ago to shoot these fun DIY holiday craft ideas using pretty Japanese washi tape! Not only did Christine provide me with my first paying photo shoot, but she also pushed my dessert-crafting boundaries again by ordering cake balls (more squares hehe) decorated to match the washi tape and candy cane macarons (I used this recipe but added crushed candy canes to the buttercream).

It all turned out quite well, if I do say so myself =p, and I'm delighted to announce that our shoot's been featured today on The Sweetest Occasion! Trust me, you don't want to miss this post as it includes FREE downloadable gift tags from Frog Prince Paperie, plus a fabulous washi tape GIVEAWAY from Cute Tape. Thanks to Christine and all the contributing vendors for making this shoot a success! I've included some of my favorite photos from the shoot below (several of which didn't make it into the feature) -- enjoy!

Hi Xialu, I made cupcakes this morning and they came out badly. It was my first attempt at making cupcakes. But I've made cakes before a few times. 1) The outer layer of the cupcakes was crisp, the cupcakes attained a doomed shape but the inner layer was raw and undercooked.2) The outer layer started cracking after 12 minutes. My total baking time was 15 minutes at 190 degrees celcius.3)The cupcakes became very hard after cooling.

Please help me identify what I need to rectify/change to get good cupcakes.

Wow, that's awesome! So nice to have good friends in the industry...you never know what event might come up for the perfect collaboration. Those little desserts look scrumptious! The perfect bite to not feel guilty after :D Beautiful theme, great pics!